Wood traits explain microbial but not termite-driven decay in Australian tropical rainforest and savanna.
Published in Journal of Ecology, 2023
Recommended citation: Law, Stephanie, Habacuc Flores‐Moreno, Alexander W. Cheesman, Rebecca Clement, Marc Rosenfield, Abbey Yatsko, Lucas A. Cernusak et al. "Wood traits explain microbial but not termite‐driven decay in Australian tropical rainforest and savanna." Journal of Ecology 111, no. 5 (2023): 982-993. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14090.
In the tropics, termites are imortant contributors to decomposition, but we don’t know a lot about how much they contribute compared to microbes or fungi. We deployed wood across a rainfall gradient of habitat types in North Queensland Australia and measured wood decay in blocks where termites were or were not allowed. Part of the difference in decay rates across habitats can be explained by wood traits.
Recommended citation: Law, Stephanie, Habacuc Flores‐Moreno, Alexander W. Cheesman, Rebecca Clement, Marc Rosenfield, Abbey Yatsko, Lucas A. Cernusak et al. “Wood traits explain microbial but not termite‐driven decay in Australian tropical rainforest and savanna.” Journal of Ecology 111, no. 5 (2023): 982-993.